Proteogenomic analysis of natural microbial communities

presented by

Jill Banfield
ProfessorUniversity of California Berkeley

April 30, 2008

W. M. Keck Foundation Amphitheater, TSRI

Background:

J. Banfield is a Professor in the Departments of Earth and Planetary Science and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, UC Berkeley. Her research interests focus in the area of molecular geomicrobiology, with emphasis on the study of the structure and functioning of natural microbial communities.

Abstract:

Microbial communities underpin many of the Earth's major biogeochemical cycles. Communities assemble from heterogeneous natural populations that are shaped by geochemical and biological factors, including the presence/absence of other organisms or viruses. The cultivation barrier has been a major challenge for understanding of the functioning of microbial communities. In much of our work, we have circumvented the requirement for growth of organisms in the laboratory by adopting cultivation-independent genomic and proteomic methods. Through integration of biological, chemical and physical information from a model acid mine drainage system, we are beginning to understand the nature and importance of fine-scale variation and to uncover the form of interplay amongst different organisms, including viruses, in natural biofilms.